Matchday 18 of the La Liga between Real Sociedad and Atlético Madrid will take place on 4 january at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián. Real Sociedad vs Atlético Madrid: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Real Sociedad
In the last round of the Primera Real Sociedad dropped a victory late on against struggling Levante (1:1). The winless run in the championship has reached four matches, and before the recent draw the club suffered three consecutive defeats. The home side has failed to keep a clean sheet for 11 La Liga games, and overall the club has recorded only one shutout in this competition since the start of the season. The position in the table is becoming increasingly tense, the gap from the relegation zone remains only two points, and Real Sociedad has fallen to 16th place. Note that the club's new head coach is Pellegrino Matarazzo, who previously worked at Hoffenheim until November 2024.
- Both teams scored in 8 of Real Sociedad's last 9 league matches.
- The club's uncompromising home run in the Primera stretches across 7 games (3 wins, 4 losses).
- At least 3 goals were scored in 7 of Real Sociedad's last 9 home games in La Liga.
Potential Real Sociedad Lineup (4-3-3)*
Alejandro Remiro – Igor Zubeldia, Jon Martin, Aritz Elustondo, Sergio Gomez – Luka Sucic, Jon Gorrotxategi, Pablo Marín – Takefusa Kubo, Gonçalo Guedes, Mikel Oyarzabal.
Defender Jon Aramburu has completed a suspension, but midfielder Jon Gorrotxategi and defender Igor Zubeldia are now unavailable due to accumulation of bookings. Midfielder Yangel Herrera will not be available due to injury.
Atlético Madrid
After two unpleasant defeats in the La Liga at the start of December Atlético Madrid did not collapse and closed the month with two consecutive wins. In the final game of 2025 Atlético comfortably beat Girona (3:0), marking the club's first championship rout since 1 november. Thanks to that result Atlético Madrid overtook Villarreal and rose to third place in the table. It should be noted that the rival still has two games in hand. This season in the Primera Atlético has conceded a total of 16 goals, fewer only than Villarreal (15). In terms of goals scored (33), only Real Madrid (36) and Barcelona (51) are ahead.
- The team scored in 19 of the last 20 league meetings in Spain.
- The club's uncompromising run in this competition stretches across 10 games (8 wins, 2 losses).
- At least 2 goals were scored in 7 of Atlético's last 9 La Liga matches.
Potential Atlético Madrid Lineup (4-4-2)*
Jan Oblak – Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Ganczko, Matteo Ruggeri – Pablo Barrios, Koke, Nicolás González, Giuliano Simeone – Alexander Sørloth, Julián Álvarez.
Defenders José María Giménez and Clément Lenglet are not ready due to injuries. The participation of midfielder Alex Baena is in question.
Referee
Juan Martínez (Spain)
Matches – 6 (the La Liga, 2025/26);
Showed yellow/red cards (including second yellows) – 24;
Average yellow cards per match – 4;
Showed red cards – 1;
Fouls average per match – 28;
Penalties – 33%.
Real Sociedad vs Atlético Madrid: Match Prediction
Real Sociedad faltered in the final stretch before the break. The club failed to win in four consecutive league games, avoiding defeat only against a lacklustre Levante (1:1). Overall, the first half of the season was a failure. After 17 rounds in the La Liga the home side has won just four matches, averaging exactly one point per game. As a result, the team is in the lower part of the table, and 2026 will begin under the guidance of a new coach.
Atlético Madrid did not crumble after two defeats in the Primera at the start of December; the club recorded two successive wins before the end of the year and broke into the top three. Overall the visitors have won eight of their last ten league matches. Now the side faces an away trip to a fairly convenient opponent. Atlético Madrid has not lost in 11 head-to-head La Liga meetings with Real Sociedad, seven of those 11 games were wins.
Prediction: Atlético Madrid Draw No Bet
* For each team the starting lineup from their last match in this competition is shown.